Linking to grow sweet corn, Nghe An farmers hit it big
Linking to grow sweet corn, Nghe An farmers are supported with loans for seeds, fertilizers and have their products purchased, earning a profit of 50 million VND/ha.
This season, the family of Mr. Nguyen Huu Tinh, Head of Dai Dong Hamlet, Thuong Tan Loc Commune, Nam Dan District, planted 10 sao of sweet corn, which is currently in the harvest season. According to Mr. Tinh's calculations, each sao of sweet corn yields about 6 - 7 quintals of fresh corn, which is purchased by the enterprise right at the field after harvest at the contracted price of 4,300 VND/kg.
Mr. Tinh excitedly said: “Previously, on this alluvial land, we grew corn for grain as animal feed, and sometimes we grew biomass corn. The yield was unstable and due to the lack of outlets, the income was not worth much. For the past two years, thanks to the association with a company in the North, we have switched to growing sweet corn for sale. The company has lent us seeds and fertilizers and we will only pay when we harvest.”
According to Mr. Tinh, during the process of planting and caring for corn, the company also sent technicians to closely follow the fields, "holding hands to guide" people to plant at the right density and take care of the corn properly so that it produces even, large corn cobs.
“Previously, corn yield was unstable and income was uncertain, due to growing other types of corn, buying floating seeds, and growing based mainly on experience. Now, with seeds of known origin and technical guidance, planting is a sure win. From a few households planting in the first year, this year, the whole hamlet has 15 households planting on an area of 3 hectares,” Mr. Tinh added.
This is the second year that farmers in Thuong Tan Loc commune have implemented a model of growing sweet corn on alluvial land with an area of 9 hectares in Dai Dong and Hong Son hamlets, with 57 households participating. Like many other farmers, what Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh, Dai Dong hamlet, Thuong Tan Loc commune worries most about in production is the output for agricultural products.
“There were years when growing pumpkins, when it was time to harvest, the pumpkins were left in the fields because the price was low, no one bought them so they had to be thrown away; growing waxy corn also fell into the situation of “good harvest, low price”, so sometimes I was discouraged and did not dare to invest much. Growing sweet corn not only got the corn purchased, but also took advantage of selling the plants to livestock farms,” Mr. Thanh shared.
Therefore, when participating in the linkage model, what Mr. Thanh is most excited about is that the company guarantees to buy the products at market prices. With a stable output, he boldly planted 4 sao of sweet corn; after more than 3 months of planting and caring, it has now been harvested, with a yield of 12 - 15 tons/ha. The corn is purchased by the enterprise at 4,300 VND/kg, and the farmers earn 50 - 60 million VND/ha, after deducting costs, the profit is about 40%.
"This sweet corn model has been implemented by the locality since last winter crop. This winter crop has proven successful in terms of productivity and income. Therefore, in the coming years, the locality will continue to cooperate with businesses to expand. Many households will soon switch to growing sweet corn on two-rice land, harvesting during the Lunar New Year will bring higher income," said Ms. Phan Thi Trang, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Thuong Tan Loc commune.
According to the assessment of the professional agency, the initial model has shown good results, the sweet corn plants grow and develop quickly, are healthy, and are suitable for the local soil. The low height of the plant stem limits the risk of breakage during the planting process.
The corn variety has a shorter growing period than traditional corn by 10 - 15 days, so it is very convenient for cultivation and crop rotation. The average yield is 750 - 800 kg/sao, about 2.5 times higher than traditional corn; estimated revenue is 10-12 million VND/sao; estimated profit is 3-4 million VND/sao, 3-4 times higher than biomass corn.
According to the contract, the company purchases directly from the field, importing the whole corn without having to shell or separate the kernels, and without having to dry it. In addition to harvesting corn, corn stalks are used as a source of feed for livestock.